Newswise — La Jolla, Calif., February 12, 2016 — Marcia I. Dawson, whose pioneering research helped lay the groundwork for pro-apoptotic (programmed cell death) small molecules for the treatment of cancer, died recently at her home in Menlo Park, California.
A Professor Emeritus in the Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute’s (SBP) NCI-designated Cancer Center, Dawson’s research tapped into a natural pathway by which beta-carotene and vitamin A fight cancer. By creating compounds thousands of times more potent than what Mother Nature provided, her work ultimately led to the synthesis of the FDA approved drug Targretin®, now saving the lives of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
“Marcia was a remarkable scientist and valued colleague who made substantial contributions to the fields of chemistry and cancer research,” said Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., president of SBP. “Marcia enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with several of our faculty, including Dr. Xiao-kun Zhang, as well as with Dr. Joseph A. Fontana’s cancer cell biology group at Wayne State University School of Medicine.”
In 2001, Dr. Dawson joined SBP faculty as a professor, and her research focused on the development of novel compounds affecting the retinoic X receptors (RXRs). Her primary goal was to optimize the therapeutic index of these compounds that induce cancer cell apoptosis and that have therapeutic potential in the treatment of leukemia and other cancers. A corollary goal was to discern how these compounds exert their apoptotic effects on cancer cells.
Marcia earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1968. She received her postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Stanford Research Institute, where she was appointed to staff and served in a progressive series of positions culminating in Director of Drug Discovery in the Bio-Organic Chemistry Lab from 1994-1999. She served as Head of the Medicinal Medical Chemistry Department of the Molecular Medicine Research Institute from 1999-2000, prior to her recruitment to SBP.
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About Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteSanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit research organization that blends cutting-edge fundamental research with robust drug discovery to address unmet clinical needs in the areas of cancer, neuroscience, immunity, and metabolic disorders. The Institute invests in talent, technology, and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs more than 1,100 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org. The Institute can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery.
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